When lawyers walk down the halls talking on a BlueTooth headset, the scene is surreal. Concerned always about confidentiality and attorney-client privilege, here is a lawyer blabbing for all the world to hear. Yet, the scene is not uncommon. It gives new meaning to “communication in the department” (See my post of Dec. 7, 2005: communication time wasters; March 23, 2007: communication frequency declines with distance; Oct. 19, 2005: communication tools; Nov. 30, 2005: everyone clamors for more communication.).

Jabbering in the air about a legal matter may mean that attorney-client privilege goes by the boards. The talk-in-public lawyer may think he is conveying how important and busy he is, but remember the World War II slogan, “Loose lips sink ships.”

We may see signs in legal departments that show a cell phone (mobile for the European readers) in a circle with a red diagonal slash through it.